


Winter Ritual

by darkcyan



Series: Tumblr Fics [5]
Category: Natsume Yuujinchou | Natsume's Book of Friends
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:41:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5598403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkcyan/pseuds/darkcyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Natsume's youkai friends convince him to help out with a very important winter ritual.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Winter Ritual

**Author's Note:**

> The last in the trio of [not-actually-drabbles](http://cyanmnemosyne.tumblr.com/post/127457760603/this-isnt-a-pairing-per-se-for-the-meme-thing) that I keep forgetting to pull over to AO3. 
> 
> Happy New Year, everyone! :)

Takashi huddled deeper into his coat, hands tucked into his armpits, as he walked home from school.  His feet crunched quietly against the packed snow, and the afternoon sun glinting off the fields made him squint.  

“Natsume-dono!”

_Maybe if I ignore them, they’ll just go away._

“Natsume-dono!”

Takashi sighed internally, stopped, and turned to look at the two overly enthusiastic mid-level youkai.  “Yes?” 

“It’s a beautiful day, isn’t it, Natsume-dono?”

“Yes, it is,” he agreed slowly.  Had they really stopped him just to chat about the weather?  “It’s pretty cold, but I hear it will start warming up a bit later in the week.” 

“And that’s why we need you to come with us now!” 

Takashi looked back towards the road, and considered the pile of homework that awaited him at the end of it.  “You guys, I really don’t think this is –”

“We need your help, Natsume-dono!  It’s for a very important ritual!” 

“I’m really not the right person –” The mid-levels stared at him expectantly, and Takashi sighed and gave up.  They’d probably just follow him home and start chanting outside his door again, otherwise.  “Fine.  What do you need?”

* * *

“A snowball fight?” 

“We have heard that it is a very important human winter ritual,” Chobihige said.  “But we are unclear on the rules.  And since you have been of such help to us in unraveling the secrets of human games in the past …” 

_Well, at least I actually_ have _participated in snowball fights before._

Takashi hung his book bag off a nearby tree branch and re-folded his arms.  “There aren’t really any set rules, I don’t think,” he said.  “You just … throw snowballs at each other.”   _Mostly at me._

“How do you win?” Hinoe asked, an unfortunately familiar glint in her eyes.  

“I don’t think there is a winner?” Takashi said.  “I think the game ends when everyone gets too cold and decides to go back inside and drink –” his gathered friends cheered, and he glared “– _not alcohol._ Hot chocolate or something.”

Maybe adults drank alcohol?  If they still had snowball fights.  But he certainly wasn’t going to mention that possibility to his youkai friends.

“What? Drinking?” 

And then Sensei popped up out of nowhere, because of _course_ he did. 

“No, there’s not going to be any drinking.”

“Winner gets to decide whether there’s drinking or not!”

The rest of the youkai cheered again.

“Sensei –” 

“Natsume!”  Takashi whirled at the sound of Taki’s voice.  She stood with Tanuma on the road not far away, waving.  “What are you doing out there? Aren’t you cold?” 

Tanuma squinted.  “Is there – should we leave?” Most of the gathered youkai, Takashi suspected Tanuma couldn’t see.  But he doubted his friend could miss Misuzu.  

“No, it’s fine!  I was just –” 

Something _poofed_ behind him, and Takashi whirled again.  “Sensei!  Don’t you dare throw that –” 

Natsume Reiko’s snowball struck Tanuma in the chest, as he and Taki stared. 

Tanuma recovered first.  An unexpectedly bright grin on his face, he pulled off his bag and set it down at the side of the road, then jumped and skidded down into the field.  With a grace Takashi could only envy, he bent down, scooped up some snow, compressed it into a quick snowball, and threw. 

It went wide. 

And hit the midlevel youkai with one eye.  

“This means war!” he shouted, and started gathering his own ammunition.  

“Winner gets the alcohol!” Sensei, still in his guise as Reiko, called, as the rest of Takashi’s youkai friends followed suit.  

“ _There’s not going to be any alcohol!_ ”

* * *

“To your left, Taki!” 

“Did I hit anyone?” 

“No, but you were really – duck!” 

“Hah! I hit someone!”  

“Foolish human, you dare –” 

“Misuzu, calm down, it’s just a – hey, Touko-san gave me that hat!” 

_Splat._

“Nice one, Taki!” 

“ _Foolish human_ –” 

“Misuzu!” 

* * *

The entire group, humans and youkai alike, lay panting on the ground, too tired to care about the cold.  

“That was … a lot of fun,” Taki said.  “We should do it again some time.” 

“You have really good aim,” Takashi said.  “I think you hit Misuzu more than Tanuma and I combined.  And you _definitely_ hit Sensei the most.” 

“It would have been easier if I could see anyone but Fluffy-sensei,” she said, laughing weakly.  “I couldn’t have done anything without Tanuma’s and your directions.” 

She half-heartedly attempted to sit up, then flopped back down.  “What rules were we playing by?  We didn’t get a chance to ask.” 

“I’m pretty sure whatever the rules, we lost,” Tanuma said.  “Who kept tripping me?”  

“That was the kappa,” Takashi said.  “Sorry, I didn’t get a chance to warn you.”

“You looked like you were kind of busy at the time,” Tanuma said wryly. 

“The rules were, that _we_ won!” Sensei announced smugly, landing on Takashi’s chest with an audible _thump_.  He was too tired to protest the sudden extra weight. 

“That’s not a rule, Sensei.”

“And since we won, it’s _drinking time_!” 

The other youkai cheered. 

Takashi lifted his head.  Paused.  Let it drop.  “… Fine.  But _not in my room_.”

Sensei rolled his eyes.  “Whatever.”  He jumped off Takashi’s chest.  “Come on, you weaklings!” 

“… Why do I get the feeling that when I get home, they’re going to be in my room?” Takashi asked, once they were all safely gone. 

His friends laughed weakly.  

“Come to my house, instead,” Taki said.  “I don’t have alcohol –”

“ _Good_ ,” Takashi said.

“But I was thinking of making some hot chocolate.  That’s actually what Tanuma and I were looking for you for, to see if you were free.” 

Takashi wavered. “I … really should probably be getting back home.  I’ve got a lot of homework to finish tonight.” 

“Who doesn’t?” Tanuma asked, somewhat wryly.  

“… Study session _and_ hot chocolate?” Taki suggested. 

Takashi forced himself to sit back up.  “Deal.” 

He clambered to his feet, then reached down and helped Taki and Tanuma pull themselves up, too.  

“You know what, though?” he said, thinking about snowball fights and hot chocolate and the warmth of friendship – with humans and youkai alike.  “I think _we’re_ the ones who won.” 

“I don’t know,” Tanuma said doubtfully.  “We got pretty thoroughly stomped.” 

Not literally, since Misuzu had shown at least a little bit of restraint.  Thankfully.  

“We’ll beat them for sure, next time though,” Taki said stubbornly.  “Right, Natsume?” 

Takashi wondered when, how, _what_ he’d somehow won, in order to have received all this.  

“Yeah,” he said, and grinned.  “Yeah, we will.”


End file.
